Cape Coral letters to the editor

Flood insurance

The News-Press quoted Gov. Rick Scott saying that Floridians have paid approximately $16 billion to National Flood Insurance Program over the past 35 years and made claims for only $4 billion. The $12 billion of excess premium payments would sure be useful now to correct the Biggert-Waters Act, which seeks to raise flood insurance premiums. So I'm surprised that none of our elected Republican officials in state and federal government saw the obvious solution to keep all of that money in-state for in-state needs: Florida should self-insure its flood-zone properties.

The federal government started the NFIP because no one was offering flood insurance in 1968. Participation in the NFIP isn't mandatory and there are few insurers that offer flood insurance. Floridians ought to establish an in-state insurance exchange.

Gov. Scott is surely acquainted with insurance concepts having himself been assessed the largest fine ever handed out for Medicare fraud. Tea party favorite Sen. Rubio will surely support a state-based initiative.

I urge the governor and legislators to stand up for homeowners and business owners in Florida and keep all of that sweet flood insurance money in-state by creating a Florida Flood Insurance Program. FFIP is an idea whose time has come!

Elizabeth Rosenberg, Cape Coral

Obama anti-military

With his latest Gallup approval rating down to 39 percent, Obama is currently attacking our own military. The VA announced that new delays would come with more red tape via electronic forms, which a veteran must submit in the already huge and heavily backlogged process of veteran disability benefits. It seems the more that veterans groups complain and media outlets report, the slower the system moves. Does this mean more deliberately targeted punishment by Obama's henchmen?

He recently signed a bill cutting pensions of military retirees. Would he dare mess with government workers or their unions? Not convinced? Military retirees' pharmaceuticals have just nearly doubled in cost, plus their delivery costs.

Still not convinced? In April, Obama is closing down, yes, shutting 189 Tricare service centers across the country. Tricare is the health care system for military retirees. Are these 189 locations being taken away by "a grateful nation" or a nasty, anti-United States military president?

As a 20-year Navy retiree myself each of these ominous notices come to my mailbox so I know of what I write. Could lower morale bring lower recruitment numbers and renew the need for a draft? The military press sees that as a very feasible result.

A majority of veterans did not vote for Obama while a majority of people on welfare did and since his election, the number of Americans on food stamps has soared from 26 million to a shameful 40 million.

In simple terms, it's easier to get food stamps than for veterans to get the benefits they sacrificed for in their faithful and often bloody service.

During Obama's presidency, agencies such as EPA, IRS, DOJ and now the VA have by devious pattern, targeted those "chunks" of America Obama sees as unfriendly to him. Plus, his top aide Valerie Jarrett has been targeting top-ranking members of the officer corps and forcing them into early retirement, thereby earning her the military-wide nickname, "The Night Stalker."

This of course, weakens our forces. Why is Obama so hostile to America's military and our closest allies yet so apologetic and accommodating to countries like Iran, the Palestinians and so dangerously dismissive of al-Qaida?

Veterans and veteran groups should contact their representatives to protect us in yet another war, Obama's war on our own military.

John McCuen, Cape Coral

We have a problem

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act in 1935, which at the time was considered to be a solution to the difficulty of extreme poverty among the senior citizens. No safety net existed to deal with any type of poverty, particularly that exacerbated by the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s.

If examined closely, it was a job of masterful salesmanship. In 1935, life expectancy for men was 59.9 years and for women was 63.9 years. Allowing for retirement benefits at age 62-65, how many folks do you think were living long enough to collect Social Security benefits? Not very many, for sure.

Today, the life expectancy for men is 75.1 and for women is 80.2 years. A totally different can of retirement worms than it was in 1935.

In the mid-1960s, President Johnson manipulated Congress to put the excess funds from Social Security into the general fund to pay for the unnecessary (and some say illegal), rather expensive Vietnam War. That was the Democrats' contribution.

In 1983, President Reagan, with the assistance of Alan Greenspan, increased the payroll tax deduction for Social Security to 6.25 percent for both the employee and the employer. At the same time, they increased Medicare tax to 1.45 percent for all employees and employers. This bit of increased taxation was loudly touted to be "a permanent solution to the Social Security insolvency problem." Another bit of shortsighted fiction by President Reagan. This was the Republican Party's contribution.

As soon as the surpluses resulting from the 1983 payroll tax hike first began to flow into the treasury, politicians from both political parties began using it like a giant slush fund. At the present time, our wonderful government owes Social Security nearly $3 trillion.

It appears as though the Social Security program could remain solvent if Congress quit spending the surplus funds for things other than Social Security, replace the $3 trillion they have already embezzled from the fund, and raise the retirement age. All it requires is a little intelligence and a little resolve.

A recent report from the Census Bureau showed about 110 million people are on some sort of means tested (other than Social Security) governmental benefit program. Yet, only 101 million people were employed full time for the entire year. Clearly, we have a huge problem. We have more Americans on welfare than working full time.

We certainly have an impending disaster facing us and not one member of Congress, other than the tea party and the Libertarians, appear to be concerned. It is very troublesome to observe the balance of our congressional members and the entire news media criticize them for their stance on the debt and government waste. They are the only two groups demonstrating fiscal responsibility.

Perhaps our second president and one of the Founding Fathers, President John Adams, possessed a tremendous amount of wisdom and foresight when he wrote a letter to John Taylor, April 14, 1814, and stated: "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."

Robert E. Workman, Cape Coral

Downsize how?

Re: "Candidate comment," Jan. 28, Ray Netherwood. Mr. Netherwood, in his message commenting on the resignation of Trey Radel, discloses that "the two-party system is horribly broken" and "if a special election is held, I (Ray) will run as the Libertarian candidate with a focus on downsizing the cost of the federal government (and more)."

That's an excellent idea. Perhaps next you could give us some specifics regarding how you would downsize the government. The tea party Republicans have managed to control the House of Representatives yet haven't been able to downsize the government.

It appears that there will be two elections to replace Trey Radel for the District 19 seat, a special primary election in April and the general election in June. And then two elections more in October and November; another primary and the general election. You've got my vote, Ray, but I suggest you don't give up your day job or mortgage the farm to finance your campaigns and support yourself during that extended period of time.

Martin Harris, Cape Coral

Controlled media

Since Hillary Clinton left the U.S. State Department another chapter in the Clinton saga closes, only to be continued in another chapter, I'm sure. Bill left office smoking his "Monica" cigar and Hillary left with four dead Americans at her feet. Quite an accomplishment for America's political elite.

The elitist liberal media gives them a pass on adultery, sexual harassment, woeful leadership, obfuscation, lying and deceit. I could list more but you get the idea.

Of course, the Clinton family is celebrated almost as much as the Obamas are. Just an example of how far our morals have declined in this country. Is it any wonder that this society is in decline when our so-called leaders are the shining examples of that corruption? Imagine if a conservative had a record like the Clintons to stand on. The media would be camping outside their door for days on end to grill them.

This media stands outside the door to praise, cheer and congratulate. It's a disgusting display that would make the old Soviet Union state sponsored press Pravda and Izvestia proud.

Buck Hoffman, Cape Coral

Liberal priorities

It's very discouraging to me, and makes me despair for the future of this country when liberals/Democrats and the mainstream media only care more about two-lane closures in New York than they do about four Americans murdered in Benghazi, a president who lies about everything, a broken down health care program, an IRS who targets groups that the current administration doesn't agree with, a president who ignores the Constitution and goes around Congress, rising debt, bad economy and weak job growth. The fact that no one has been held accountable for any of these debacles is abhorrent to me. I only wish that the Democrats/liberals felt the same way.

Susan Venecek, Punta Gorda

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Cape Coral letters to the editor

The News-Press quoted Gov. Rick Scott saying that Floridians have paid approximately $16 billion to National Flood Insurance Program over the past 35 years and made claims for only $4 billion.